JAZZ REVIEW : GIBBS GETS BACK TO HER ROOTS

The best-kept vocal secret in town is Marla Gibbs.

Since 1981, when the TV star assumed ownership of Memory Lane, the popular club at Martin Luther King Boulevard and Arlington Avenue, her singing appearances have been an occasional sideline. Friday evening at Memory Lane, accompanied by pianist Gerald Wiggins and a few members of the Gerald Wilson Orchestra, she left no doubt that this is an art she takes as seriously as her role in TV’s “227.”

Opening with “Caravan,” a demanding song because of its profusion of long-held notes, she took it in stride, phrasing with the ease of a professional, her intonations secure, her assurance reflected in her graceful ease of movement.

Unlike so many actresses who sing, Gibbs does not lean to melodramatic excesses. She left no doubt that her roots are in jazz.

Gibbs was only one element in a long, three-pronged show. The Gerald Wilson Orchestra acquitted itself admirably as always.

In the Duke Ellington tradition, Wilson imprints on every piece his own personality as composer or arranger.

Wilson’s textures are unique, with saxes doubling on piccolo and flute, and the brass riffing joyously on his best known hits. His soloists--at least a dozen--are men with tough credentials and personal sounds: Harold Land on tenor, Land’s namesake son on piano, Milcho Leviev on keyboard, Ron Barros and Mike Price on trumpets, among others.

The band returned after Gibbs’ set, closing out the show with a vigorous “Blues in C,” in which Buster Cooper demonstrated how to have hysterics on the trombone. Along with great artistry, good fun is central to Wilson’s philosophy.